PULLMAN, Wash. – Seven games into the season, the biggest enemies for the Oregon Ducks might be themselves.
That became apparent early on in the Ducks’ 34-23 loss to the Washington State Cougars Saturday when missed opportunities and four turnovers led to a loss that appeared eerily similar to Oregon’s first defeat of the season – a 45-24 setback against California two weeks ago in which the Ducks also committed four turnovers.
“We played very poorly and it’s disappointing,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. “I would like to say we’re the better team, but we didn’t show that today. To their credit, they took advantage of the gifts we gave them, and we didn’t make enough of our own.”
The first quarter for Oregon featured two fumbles, including one on the second drive of the game that epitomized the type of day it’d be. The fumble occurred on the exchange between Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon and running back Jonathan Stewart that the Cougars recovered at the Ducks’ nine yard-line
That play occurred immediately after the Ducks caught a break when Stewart fumbled at Oregon’s two yard-line but it was negated as a result of an offside penalty on the Cougars.
“We were too sloppy in our handling of the football,” Bellotti said. “Basically, we had a lot of yardage but when you turn the ball over, it doesn’t matter. So again, we have to take care of the possession of the football.”
While Washington State fumbled it right back to Oregon, Stewart fumbled again on an option pitch on the ensuing drive that led to Washington State’s first score.
In fact, Oregon’s first nine possessions of the game finished with a missed field goal, two fumbles, two interceptions, a turnover on downs and one punt.
In that stretch, Oregon managed only three points, falling behind 27-3 after three quarters before rallying in the fourth with three touchdowns.
“(I’m) speechless,” said Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, who was benched in the third quarter in favor of back-up Brady Leaf after throwing two interceptions and just 105 yards on 12 of 20 passing. “Actions speak for themselves out there. Things weren’t clicking from an offensive standpoint.”
It’s not like Oregon’s offense was completely shut down – the Ducks still gained 471 yards of total offense but 198 came in the final quarter with Oregon trailing and forced into hurry-up mode.
“We hurt ourselves,” offensive coordinator Gary Crowton said. “Give them a lot of credit but when you get behind like that, you get out of your game plan.”
With the early lead, Washington State was able to pound the ball on the ground against the Oregon defense. Running back Dwight Tardy finished with 145 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown and the Cougars gained 193 total yards on the ground.
Conversely, Stewart, the highly touted sophomore, rushed for just 28 yards on 11 carries against a stingy Washington State defense that held the Ducks to 104 total yards rushing.
“They stopped the run game for the most part,” Dixon said of Washington State. “You’ve got to have that because you don’t want to have that one threat as far as throwing the ball, but they did a good job.”
Washington State opened the scoring in the second quarter, capitalizing on Stewart’s fumble with a 10-play drive capped by quarterback and Eugene native Alex Brink’s eight-yard pass to Jed Collins. The Cougars took a 13-3 lead at halftime and the wheels fell off for the Ducks in the third quarter.
Following a three-and-out by the Ducks, Collins scored his second touchdown of the game to cap a long drive by the Cougars and on the first play of the ensuing drive, Dixon was picked off by Tyron Brackenridge, who returned it 24 yards for the score to give Washington State a 27-3 lead. Oregon scored three touchdowns in the final quarter to keep things interesting with Leaf in the game.
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